PHOENIX — Marco Scutaro was featured briefly in “Moneyball.” Or at least a guy wearing his Oakland jersey was. Over the course of the last week he evolved from a cameo role to the star of the Rockies’ trade drama.

Following another discouraging loss Friday night, the Rockies shipped Scutaro to the Giants for Triple-A second baseman Charlie Culberson while paying a small chunk of the $2.2 million remaining on his expiring contract.

Scutaro follows Jeremy Guthrie out the door, leaving the Rockies on the clock with closer Rafael Betancourt and a battery of others.

“You never know what can happen,” said Betancourt, who was acquired by the Rockies at the trade deadline in 2009.

Scutaro wasn’t a salary dump, but he possessed only marginal value. He’s not a power hitter, and per the new collective bargaining agreement, the Giants will not receive a draft pick if he signs elsewhere.

Scutaro is a rental. Betancourt is more of a lease. He’s under contract at $4.25 million next season, with an identical mutual option for 2014.

The Orioles, Yankees, Athletics and Red Sox are all teams that have expressed interest in Betancourt. The Giants, Angels, White Sox and Braves are also seeking bullpen help and Betancourt is one of the best available, along with the Royals’ Jonathan Broxton.

With the Rockies sinking in quicksand rather than laying a foundation, the question hanging in the air is easy to ask: What’s next?

Betancourt is hardly the only Colorado player available in a deal. In talking to scouts and front-office executives, the list crystallizes. The Rockies will also consider moving catcher Ramon Hernandez, reliever Matt Reynolds, infielder Jonathan Herrera and, when healthy in August, first baseman Jason Giambi.

“Where am I going?” Betancourt joked as he watched Miami’s news conference for Hanley Ramirez’s trade to the Dodgers.

Hernandez appeared gone two weeks ago, but he reflects the fluid nature of the trade deadline. The team that coveted him the most — the Mets — hit the skids and isn’t as motivated to add Hernandez’s $3.2 million salary for next season. The Nationals like the veteran catcher but are leery at adding a piece that might disrupt the chemistry of this season’s best pitching staff. Toronto, a contender, recently lost its starter to injury.

Betancourt has real value because of his versatility. He can be a closer or a setup guy and has pitched well in both leagues. The Rockies, however, have to get the right pieces back for the veteran right-hander, who is a clubhouse leader.

Reynolds is under team control for years. That is the appeal of moving him now, to try to get a decent prospect in return. Plus, the Rockies have some intriguing relievers in Triple-A who could fill his spot. Herrera has attracted the Rangers’ interest, and Giambi is one injury from being a bench bat for an American League team if he can regain his strength from a viral infection.

“You can’t worry about what might happen, because that affects what you are trying to do for your team,” Giambi said.

It’s a different vibe from a year ago, when the Rockies were at the epicenter of the trade deadline because of Ubaldo Jimenez. Roughly 29 teams wanted the right-hander. The Rockies aren’t trading a major piece. They want to build around Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler and Michael Cuddyer.

Thinking back to the Jimenez deal, it should come as no surprise the desire for starting pitching is fueling Twitter. With Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke off the market, Miami’s Josh Johnson and Tampa Bay’s James Shields are this year’s Jimenez. The Rangers, after watching the Angels go all in for Greinke, are pushing hard for both. The White Sox and Braves are also pushing hard. The price was high for Greinke — three prospects, including John Hellweg, a pitcher the Rockies asked for in the Chris Iannetta trade — but the price will be even more outrageous for Johnson, who is under contract for next season.

Meanwhile, pitcher Ryan Dempster was driving the bus. Now he’s just driving the Cubs bananas. Using the well-deserved power of his no-trade clause, Dempster balked at being sent to Atlanta and tried to steer a deal to the Dodgers. The player deserves to exercise this right, but he has limited the Cubs’ leverage (much like Larry Walker did when the Rockies tried to trade him to the Rangers and the Marlins).

With the second wild-card berth hanging in the balance, this is where general managers make their money — and spend it. Pitchers are capable of swinging the balance, though as Jimenez proved last summer, there are no guarantees.

For the next three days, GMs must weigh mortgaging futures against pushing their chips to the center of the table.

Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.

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